From June until September..Max..Noah..Lucas..Adamo,Giuliana,Mylène and Oli..celebrate birthdays..That's a lot of birthdays♥That's our entire social life..honestly.They are my friends and family.We have the family gatherings..they all have one..or two..and Jacques and I have the tradition of taking the Little out for lunch and gift.I Love that day!So all that happened..Good weather..bad weather..cold weather.August has been our September.I mean it.Anyway..s? Which is correct?Last post I was 10.This post I have a 42 yr old.How on earth did that happen?I am.. surprised:)Believe it..time marches on.It is true.So during the summer..I have become smitten w/ naked cakes..small naked cakes..the Wilton 6 inch cakes..and so has one of my daughter's..see the Smarties spilling over cake?How cute!Lucas' 12th.I have become smitten w/ Half Baked Harvest's Summer guacamole presentation..I made Ina's guac... NO CILANTRO..and I used LIME juice...but HBH's presentation?♥..sooooo sorry I did not take a post blueberry addition photo..I had washed them..and put them aside to dry..and added before presenting..keeper..my girls said keeper...w/ all those gorgeous blueberries on top..quite a pic.I have to make again..LOL..I and everyone else..loved..I made spring rolls with this sauce..Thanks CHRIS!!EVERYONE loved it! Drinkable!Mary Berry's mini cakes.. coffee and walnut..I made signs for the desserts..Thelemon layer cake was tart and delish..You can see my naked cake and decorations above..I made my own lemon icing found elsewhere..and my microwave curd.Anything cuter than Sprinkles? Apart from sweet 16 Giuliana?♥And that white cake covered in flowers from our gardens..Ii's actually a real watermelon..cut like a cake and iced w/ vanilla bean whipped cream..I found it on Instagram..I can't look at IG constantly..but when I do..inspiration abounds!Too much!!We need to celebrate darling Oli ..darling Oli..and that's it..for summer.

The gardens are kind of forlorn..not kind of.. :( I see pics of my friends' Susan's gardens and think..you have slacked off :) LOL I didn't at the beginning..it's once I harvested my garlic..all the bare patches!Looking way more like September..and it's been cool.The tomatoes are at a standstill w/ no ripening..I swear I wish each day had 48 hours.I think I just love too many crafts for one person.Jacques:) of some trades..master of none.There is so much I love doing..photography..stitching..painting..stamping..cooking..baking gardening..I have no time for reading.I met someone who..is soo into crafting that it was joyful for me to see her areas of crafting.Her whole basement is professionnally finished w...cabinetry and closets and countertops.And her inventory is astounding.She once owned a craft store..and is immensely talented.I have never in my life seen so many stamps etc..papers..so ORGANIZED..like treasures.My art supplies are small treasures and I am so grateful to have some.I was happy for her.It is nice to see passion.I haven't seen it a lot lately..not showing homes anymore as I did for almost 30 yrs..I only interact w/ neighbours and family..No one close is so into something..Nancy was w/ paints etc..I bought stamps from this lady I just met and sticky tags.(Cavallini)..her personal inventory is top quality.Such a feeling of peace in her areas..I went to pick them up and stayed over 2 hours.Jacques could not understand it I think..I couldn't leave..honest conversation and then the basement:)Marie you would have flipped:)Thanks again Dorothy!On another note one of my girls was limping..we have a fox you see..I think the fox may have frightened her and she may have stumbled..I Googled..and that blog I love came up..I don''t know anyone on earth who does as much as she does..anyway..I only did the aspirin part..half a baby..and Bécassine is as good as new!What did we do before Google?And the internet?Take care..that's it in a big nutshell for me these days..plus GOT ..and Ray Donovan..a friend recommended a Netflix movie..Sophie and The Rising Sun..and I thoroughly enjoyed it..great cast♥Worth watching.I watch tv one hour every night..that's it..the latter I watched in bed on my mini Ipad..:)You might like it~Ok now that's really it:)

67 comments:

I love those shows too and just finished Ozarks on Netflix. Liked it a lot. I'm going to have to go back and look and read everything again Monique. I want to go to your house when I pass. All looks like heaven to me. One more birthday the 31st and that's it for summer birthdays. New baby and I will celebrate in December. Okay, going back to read and look now.

Oh that blond haired girl is so good. I've not seen her before. Tell your beautiful daughter she looks like she is twenty. I used to make small cakes and sold them at a tea room. I called them babycakes. I am still waiting for another season of The Killing. I did see the female lead the other day as Brad Pitt's wife in World War Z. I can't remember her name :(

A busy birthday summer indeed! Our children are our social life as well - and I won't complain. They have lovely friends. Love your cakes and all your beautiful kitchen creations and your crafts too! Have a lovely day Monique. I'm ready for fall and soups myself!

You winter is gentler than ours..although I adore fall..and all it's glorious colors..it means winter is not far behind..and the yard work..lolol NOT.I know many socially active people and I think I would dread it:)Thanks as always Tricia!You too have a lovely day.

It does seem like we need 48 hours in a day! So much to do; so little time! Your photos are art, Monique! As is your baking and painting and now crochet! Love your chicken behinds. ;) Happy, Happy to all your birthday loves! blessings ~ tanna

I was thinking as I started reading how you LOVE so many things! Bon anniversaire! to your folks! You did the painting of the English home et le café? LOVE!The blog post about caring for an ailing hen was very interesting...Good for you, helping one of yours!

I do love so many things.Grateful to have fun stuff to use..the paints..the cake pans ..guess working for 30 yrs paid off ☺️Funny..when I was earning it,so many responsibilities..and no time..now not earning it and less responsibilities more time..

OK, now I DIED reading the comparison of the Kardashians with the limping chicken. What did we do without the 'net indeed! You are not a jack of all trades, you are the master of many trades. You are so masterful that you can see perfection as a goal :) Love all of the celebration foods. That guac display is definitely gorgeous and yummy looking. Summers definitely could have 48 hour days and not be enough. xoxo

Karen..is hysterical.I can't even believe some of the things she says and I love when someone makes me laugh..and she does..she is good to the earth:)A Wonder Woman for sure..glad she made you laugh too!xx

Just busy with my hands:)I am so grateful to have hobbies Sarah.And I have no idea where that gene came from.My mom was a very talented artist..but I never saw her paint..never saw her supplies..a true mystery to me.

Dearest Nana,I 've just arrived home from a road trip through Europe, starting here and finishing in south Germani, at Berchtesgaden.But ... it didn't really happen! The weather decided to turn Summer into Winter! It rained so much we decidede to turn back to Italy! So pitty!Here, now, it's really too hot and we intdnd to spend a few days be the seadide.

Happy birthday to all your friends and loved ones.All the cakes look superb!The spring rollers seem to be particulary delicious!

Italy and the SOF were loves of mine..we have friends..beach friends that live in Germany..2 sets.. 2 different areas..it sure looks beautiful there also.Europe and it's history and beauty through the ages..

Hi Monique! You certainly have a busy month of birthdays! I love all your cakes, so pretty and the guacamole looks fantastic too. Mini cakes sound so good, not too much. I'm a bit confused on the walnut coffee cake recipe. Her recipe reads 16 cup mini pans? Can you explain this one? Those girls of yours look like they have had a good summer at Nana's. What are you feeding them that they look so plump? I can't believe it is mid August, I started my flashback calendula seeds that will be perfect at pumpkin time and they are popping up already. Try to have a good weekend, such sad news about Spain and things in the States are not much better.

Sorry I deleted a comment. I try not to get political on the blog community and got carried away. We are traveling in the near future to France through Madrid. Sorry for the attacks in Barcelona. In spite of everything that is crazy in our country, we are still hopeful that most of the world is sane. Love visiting your peaceful place in the world Monique.

Oh dear Penny..I try and stay away from any political comment too!Another tragedy😢😢And to say that this morning the most political thought I had was seeing the photo of Hilary Clinton having breakfast and someone having a photo taken or a selfie..clearly Mrs C was not comfy.And then I went out and came home and Jacques told me the news..I appreciate my peace and home and surroundings so very much.Will try and write you a note..

What a busy summer of birthdays you have! Ours are mostly in the spring and then again in September. Both our girl's guys are in winter. Lovely cakes and I know two boys who would love the Skittles cake - so impressive! Your 'girls' look plump and happy, Monique. Glad you were able to fix the limp. I laugh reading Karen's blog also. You first mentioned her here and I looked and laughed. She actually shared my frikadeller recipe once! It turns out she's Danish and it was the way her mother or grandmother made them too. I feel like you Jack of All, Master of None :) Loved seeing your painting, crochet and gorgeous photos! By no means are you a garden slacker!

I am so grateful we've had this relationship of just so nice for so many years..makes things..sweeter.Lol you master lots!We have our spring birthdays..yours lol and J's..Alain..and Fred..?.and some winter ones..but summer is peak season for sure.Have a great nite!

Your cake looks gorgeous Monique. We have given up on our rhubarb. 7 years in a row, its not been good. Not sure what we are doing wrong. Love your photos of the Cape. On my bucket list. Your peonies are beautiful. I want peonies. I keep telling Todd, but then we forget. I wonder why ants love them so much?? What a beautiful calligraphy set! I know you will put it to good use! Keep on keeping on with the crochet. It will all fall into place and you will wonder why you ever had a problem! xoxoดูหนังออนไลน์

That last line Monique, lol. "That's really it". You make me smile. You really do. What a beautiful girl your "G" is. So pretty. Your whole family is gorgeous, but I expect they are also very nice and "nice" oozes beauty. The cakes, the guacamole, flowers, les petite jardin madamoiselles . . . so happy you were able to get the leg sorted. Oh the craft room I would be GAGA for sure! Your Summer Birthdays are like my Winter Birthdays which never seem to end. They come in clusters. July is a busy birthday month, but also November, December and January! Its sometimes very hard to keep up! Your crochet work is growing by leaps and bounds! Well done you! I am sewing my blanket together now, the squares and then I am going to do a crochet border around. I can't wait to finish it and see how it turns out! I watch my iPad in bed also. That way I can watch the shows that Todd doesn't really like. Ok, now that's really it for me! Love and hugs! xoxo

We are not often at a loss for words on our blogs..well not often it seems for me..I am awake early and listening to the rain..not bad😌We lucked out with G and A and I find they are such nice teens..great examples for our 4 boys.Me too Fe the chicken leg🐔Started my blanket..I think I need at least 100 squares!Baby soft acrylic slides so much compared to the cotton.Smitten with IG and crochet pics now lol..my crafting follies..signed up for a Jeanne Oliver painting class..Fancy Lassies when it was half off looks a bit advanced for me..will see..have a great day Marie

Dearest Monique,Well, your social wise summer review is not looking bad at all.A lot of sweetness is going in there and it makes for lasting fond memories, to take into winter...Love the fresh flower arrangement inside the vintage shaving scuttle!Sending you hugs for a sweet weekend.We've had too much rain here this summer. Hard to plan for our bike ride.It was starting to rain when we drove out and I do not like riding in the rain... So we went home and husband cranky!Mariette

I hope you are having a nice Sunday..it's warm and breezy here..I was able to finally harvest some Dancing With Smurfs tomatoes..hopefully the rest will follow suit..I can't ride uphill anymore..Jacques is on a bike ride as I type..I am exercising by organizing stamps and watercolors:)Bon Dimanche!

Oh my goodness Happy Birthday to everyone! such busy but fun months for you...I just love all the cakes so much! Its all so very pretty.The beginning of August here was very much like September too it was so nice but now we are back to 90 degree days, but I can feel Fall just around the corner :)

My word, what a busy birthday season but it's all during the best time of year. Loving your high key photos as well as your water colors. I feel the summer walls closing in on me. Trying to squeeze in a few more adventures in the next 2 weeks.

That's ALOT of birthdays but what fun you must have, having everyone close enough to celebrate. Yesterday felt like a humid hazy day in the south, but today it feels like September! I prefer days like today though. I love reading your stories, I feel like I'm in an enchanting world :). May these last days of Summer slow down just a wee bit ❤️😘

Oh my gosh Bev I only show you the good☺️😊Right now..we just had a terrible thunderstorm..have a cake in the oven..power is hiccuping and my gardens seem askew right now!I promise you it's not all pretty..life is like that...thanks as always for your nice words!

HI Monique....Happiest Birthdays to all! You sure have a busy Summer with all these!Your cakes are magnificent! I looked at the watermelon cake...ingenious!Your crochet is looking fab...and, don't get me started on your painting!Your step granddaughter looks like a lovely young lady...lucky you!Crummy weather here today....hot....muggy...bit of rain....busy with my sweater! Must finish!Lovely sweet post as always...Enjoy your day...Cheers!Linda :o)

Cheers to you..we just had a huge thunderstorm!Blackest skies..flickering power..what a weird summer..the summer of the un ripened tomatoes!Only the Smurfs are ripening.Oh well..that's one thing we have no control over.Cannot wait to see your sweater!And I loved your last IG pic miss!

I am back from your beautiful country and catching up on your blog. Oh, biggest sigh! What an August you have been having and what eye candy you give us with these gorgeous photos. The cakes look so delicious - I think I'll have to try the lemon one. Lemon is my favorite!

And what a treat to discover the fabulous crafting lady! I would have spent two hours there as well, I know. (And Rick wouldn't understand! But then he could spend two hours in the bike store or guitar store, so there!)

My garden is just woeful since being away so much, so I really understand what you mean. I need to pick up some lettuce and spinach seeds for a second planting. Our tomatoes are about done, apart from a few green ones. Yes, it's cool here too, comparatively. I'm not ready for fall and like you, I want 48 hours a day! So good to be back and see your loveliness!

Monique, Gorgeous birthday cakes, very pretty each one!! Happy Birthday to everyone!! Sounds like a busy month, wish I had your energy. Loving all your artwork and photos of the boys games. Always love stopping by and visiting. Have a wonderful week! Hugs, Jody ♥